Guidance counselors talk about what it takes to help students succeed

LAKE CITY — This is National School Counseling Week, and some guidance counselors in Florence School District 3 recently shared what it takes to help students do their academic best.

Janice Graham, guidance counselor at J.C. Lynch Elementary School in Coward, said she began her career to make a difference in students’ lives. Her main goal as a guidance counselor is to be an adult friend to the students, she said.

Graham said guidance counselors have to motivate and encourage students to have positive attitudes about learning.

“All children can learn,” and guidance counselors help students reach their full potential, Graham said.

She has been a guidance counselor for 30 years and spent six years teaching sixth grade, she said. She also spent a year as school media specialist.

For the majority of her career, Graham was a “shared” guidance counselor between two schools, she said. For the past few years, however, she has been able to stay at one school all day, which she said she enjoys.

Graham earned a bachelor’s in history and library science from Winthrop University and a master’s in counselor education from Francis Marion University.

Kendra Wilson, the ninth-grade guidance counselor at Lake City High School, said her ability to listen and her desire to help others led her to become a guidance counselor.

When she was a high school student, she said, she liked helping her peers with their problems and always had the ability to see the “bigger” picture in situations.

She said a guidance counselor must be open-minded and flexible and a “people person.” On a typical school day, Wilson said, she might have an outline of tasks, but could be pulled away to counsel a student or to enroll a new student and discuss the enrollment process with parents.

“No day is the same,” and guidance counselors have to be ready at all times, she said.

Wilson constantly tells ninth-grade students that their first year in high school is the most important, she said.

“It sets the foundation,” she said.

She also reminds students that passing all courses is extremely important, she said. Sometimes, students think elective courses are not as important as their subject-area courses, she said.

“All classes do count,” she said. “You have to strive daily to do your best.”

She said she also stresses the importance of attending school regularly, which helps students perform better academically and prepares them to be working adults.

Wilson, who has been a guidance counselor for eight years, earned a bachelor’s in chemistry education and a master’s in secondary counselor education, both from South Carolina State University. She also has spent two years as a counselor in student support services at Williamsburg Technical College and three years as a guidance counselor at Johnakin Middle School in Marion, she said.

Before becoming a guidance counselor, Wilson taught physical science and chemistry at Sumter High School for three years.

Wanda Smith, a guidance counselor at Ronald E. McNair Middle School in Lake City, said people in her field have an effective program at their disposal with the South Carolina State Department of Education’s Personal Pathways to Success.

Smith said the program gives students an idea of their strengths and weaknesses and that it has received positive feedback from parents. The program is for students in eighth through 11th grades, and students participate in academic planning and career counseling.

Smith said periodic conferences with parents and students also allow guidance counselors to discuss graduation plans with the students. One of the goals, she said, is to prepare the students for entering college. Many parents have said they wish the program were offered when they were students, Smith said.

Guidance counselors promote student achievement by providing academic counseling and offering opportunities for learning, Smith said. In addition, they help students’ academic achievement by offering job shadowing and college tours and allowing professionals to visit the school and speak with students.

Being a guidance counselor is about ensuring students have the tools they need to better themselves, Smith said. Despite the problems students may encounter, they still can be successful, Smith said.

“We have to be really good listeners,” Smith said. She said guidance counselors must possess good communicational skills, have the ability to multitask, and be approachable.

Smith became a school guidance counselor in 2001. Before that, she worked as a counselor with Waccamaw Center for Mental Health. She said she switched to school guidance counseling because she was looking for “something a little different,” but still wanted to work with children.

“I really enjoy working in the middle school,” she said.

Smith earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in rehabilitation counseling, both from South Carolina State University.

Smith has been an instructor in the Block Program, a nontraditional program for adults who want to return to school, at Limestone College’s Florence and Kingstree sites.